Franklin, Michael, and Trevor go for the most obvious approach in their biggest score yet.
Even back in North Yankton, Michael and Trevor already dreamt of amassing a huge payout from one final big heist they affectionately call ‘The Big One.’
Unfortunately, both men had to give up on this dream following the failure of their last job in North Yankton, which saw Michael take on a new identity as Michael de Santa and Trevor exiled to Blaine County.
Nevertheless, fate would have its way, as Michael and Trevor eventually reunite in Los Santos and complete numerous smaller heists with Michael’s new protege, Franklin.
As the trio gain more trust in one another and complete one big job after the next, talks about The Big One have begun surfacing again.
The Big Score – Obvious Approach is the final heist that involves Franklin, Michael, and Trevor. Where the trio attempt to rob the Union Depository using a more straightforward and ‘obvious’ approach.
In this guide, we have outlined everything you need to know about The Big One – Obvious Approach and how you can get a Gold Medal for completing the mission in GTA 5.
The Big Score – Obvious Approach Synopsis
Franklin, Michael, and Trevor arrive at Vanilla Unicorn to get dressed for The Big Score. After a quick pep talk, the three protagonists set out to their stations to start the Union Depository heist.
Michael drives to the Union Depository’s main entrance to pick up one of the crew members joining him in creating a diversion at the Union Depository.
Meanwhile, Franklin heads to the tunnels with another crew member and starts drilling a hole through the Union Depository’s safe with a driller. Trevor and Lester head toward Trevor’s chopper to prepare for their exit strategy.
Franklin and his partner quickly break the safe wall and collect all the gold from the cells. A few NOOSE operatives arrive at the area to stop Franklin and the crew member, but the pair easily suppress the NOOSE agents.
With the NOOSE agents taken care of, Trevor, Lester, and the other crew member arrive in their respective choppers. Franklin and his partner successfully latch the cables to the cages holding the gold bars Franklin and his partner have secured from the cells.
The team’s choppers hoist the gold out through a small hole in the roof and fly out to intercept the train Lester has prepared for the heist.
With the gold taken care of, Franklin and his partner make their way out of the tunnels and onto street level to rendezvous with Michael and help him deal with the LSPD and NOOSE agents on the streets.
Michael, Franklin, and the rest of the crew take out numerous officers, agents, and choppers on their way to the escape car parked at the Union Depository basement. With the cops hot on their heels, Franklin drives as best he can to lose the cops.
Franklin and Michael eventually shake off the cops, allowing Michael to check up on Trevor, Lester, and the gold.
On their way to the train rendezvous point, Trevor, Lester, and the other crew member encounter a few Merryweather agents in their choppers. Nevertheless, Lester does quick work of pursuing helicopters with some well-aimed RPGs.
With the coast clear, Trevor and the other crew member drop the cages holding the gold onto the train and fly back to the airstrip to meet with Michael and the rest of the crew.
Michael, Franklin, Trevor, Lester, and the rest of the crew survive the ordeal, giving Michael plenty of reason to celebrate. However, Trevor does not share the same joy Michael showed, which causes Michael to become upset with Trevor.
Before things escalate, Lester calls Michael and Trevor to help him with storage. Before they leave, Michael tells the crew members to keep a low profile until Lester can turn gold into cash.
The Big Score – Obvious Approach Gold Medal Objectives
- Headshots: Kill 20 enemies with headshots.
- Time: Complete within 16:00
- Cha-Ching: Drop the gold on the train within 30 seconds.
- Accuracy: Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 60%.
All Gold Medal objectives for this mission can be completed through multiple replays. You can return another time and replay the mission to get the rest of the Gold Medal objectives.
The Big Score Obvious Approach Mission Guide
Choose the Obvious Approach when planning for the mission.
Pick Taliana Martinez as Driver 1, Karim Denz as Driver 2, Norm Richards as Gunman 1, and Gustavo Mota as Gunman 2. This roster will yield the best possible take at the end of the mission.
Head to the Union Depository to start the mission. As soon as you arrive, the play will automatically switch to Franklin, who is already in the tunnels.
Turn on the cutter blades using the assigned buttons, then drive toward the wall.
Don’t worry too much about parking the drill perfectly. Back up in a straight line toward the back wall, and you should be good.
Use your Sticky Bombs to blow the locks on both cells.
After both cells are opened, switch to your rifle and get ready to remove the incoming NOOSE agents.
You can use this opportunity to score the first few headshots required to get a Gold Medal in this mission.
Try to aim for the enemy’s heads as much as possible but do not trade headshots for accuracy. You must end the mission with at least 60% accuracy to get the Accuracy Gold Medal.
A few NOOSE agents will drop from the roof. Take them out with headshots.
After Franklin and his partner successfully hook the cages holding the gold, the play will switch to Trevor.
There’s not much to do in this part of the mission. Just fly close to the other helicopter. The play will automatically switch to Michael after a few seconds.
Now is your best chance to get those headshots. Use Michael’s ability to slow down time and line up those headshots.
A few helicopters will arrive in the area. Use Michael’s special ability to take out the pilot.
You can switch between Franklin and Michael through the annex. However, you should stick to Michael to use his special ability to maintain your accuracy and score the rest of the headshots required to get the Headshot Gold Medal Objective.
Follow Franklin and the other crew member to the parking lot. Switch to Franklin here, so Franklin drives the escape car instead of Michael.
You can use Franklin’s special ability to escape the cops. Don’t worry too much about the cops, as simply driving far from the Union Depository area is enough to thin out the police cars patrolling the area.
The play will switch to Trevor as soon as you lose the cops.
Fly close to the other crew member so Lester can line up the incoming Merryweather helicopters and take them out.
You do not have to do anything to deal with Merryweather. Just ensure you’re flying as close to the enemies as possible so Lester can take them out.
You only have 30 seconds to drop the gold onto the train car. This is the most challenging part of the mission since the train car is moving considerably fast, making it difficult to drop the gold properly.
After dropping the gold onto the train car, fly back to the airstrip to rendezvous with Michael and the rest of the crew.
Going For Gold
As the final major heist mission in GTA 5, you would expect The Big Score to be more difficult and require more complex Gold Medal Objectives, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Big Score in the Obvious Approach is one of the easiest missions to get all four Gold Medal Objectives in a single run.
Getting headshots and maintaining accuracy is easy if you use Michael’s special ability, and dropping the gold on the train is also very simple. The Time requirement is a little strict, but you can save time by skipping all the cutscenes throughout the mission.
